VATICAN DOCUMENT: Following many leaks, going back to last September, the Vatican yesterday finally published its much-heralded document on homosexuality.
It bans from seminaries and the priesthood men "who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called 'gay culture'".
Those with temporary homosexual tendencies must have overcome them for three years before they can be ordained deacons of the Church.
Ordination to the diaconate generally preceeds ordination to the priesthood by one or two years.
The document also referred to those whose homosexual tendencies may be temporary, "the expression of a transitory problem - for example, that of an adolescence not yet superseded. Nevertheless, such tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate," it said.
Most controversially, it said that homosexuals "in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women".
It repeated that homosexual acts are "grave sins" and that "tradition has constantly considered them to be intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law".
Although differentiating between homosexual acts and tendencies, it states "deep-seated homosexual tendencies. . . are also objectively disordered".
The document was published by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education. It was signed by Pope Benedict on August 31st last and by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, on November 4th.
It stated of itself that "it contains norms concerning a specific question, made more urgent by the current situation, and that is: whether to admit to the seminary and to holy orders candidates who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies". It pointed out that "the desire alone to become a priest is not sufficient, and there does not exist a right to receive sacred ordination".
Rather, "it belongs to the Church - in her responsibility to define the necessary requirements for receiving the sacraments instituted by Christ - to discern the suitability of him who desires to enter the seminary, to accompany him during his years of formation, and to call him to holy orders if he is judged to possess the necessary qualities".
It said "the call to orders is the personal responsibility of the bishop or the major superior", who "before admitting the candidate to ordination, must arrive at a morally certain judgment on his qualities. "In the case of a serious doubt in this regard, he must not admit him to ordination."
The spiritual director "has the obligation to evaluate all the qualities of the candidate's personality and to make sure that he does not present disturbances of a sexual nature, which are incompatible with the priesthood.
"If a candidate practices homosexuality or presents deep-seated homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director, as well as his confessor, have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding towards ordination."
It "would be gravely dishonest for a candidate to hide his own homosexuality in order to proceed, despite everything, towards ordination," it said.